SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook said it expects a fine of up to $5 billion from the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating whether the social network violated its users' privacy. The company set aside $3 billion in its quarterly earnings report Wednesday as a contingency against the possible penalty but noted that...
Facebook, Google Face Widening Crackdown Over Online Content
LONDON — Social media giants like Facebook and Google came under increasing pressure in Europe on Monday when countries proposed stricter rules to force them to block extreme material such as terrorist propaganda and child porn. Britain called for a first-of-its-kind watchdog for social media that could fine executives and...
Vaccine Wars: Social Media Battle Outbreak of Bogus Claims
SAN FRANCISCO — Like health officials facing outbreaks of disease, internet companies are trying to contain vaccine-related misinformation they have long helped spread. So far, their efforts at quarantine are falling short. Searches of Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram turn up all sorts of bogus warnings about vaccines, including the soundly...
Facebook Charged With Housing Discrimination by HUD
NEW YORK — The federal government charged Facebook with high-tech housing discrimination Thursday for allegedly misusing its vaunted ability to deliver ads with surgical precision to certain groups of people and not others. The civil charges by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could cost the social network millions...
Facebook Extends Ban on Hate Speech to ‘White Nationalists’
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism. The company previously allowed such material even though it has long banned white supremacists. The social network said Wednesday that it didn't apply the ban previously to expressions of...
Facebook Says Service Hindered by Lack of Local News
NEW YORK — Facebook's effort to establish a service that provides its users with local news and information is being hindered by the lack of outlets where the company's technicians can find original reporting. The service, launched last year, is currently available in some 400 cities in the United States....
Can Zuckerberg Really Make a Privacy-Friendly Facebook?
SAN FRANCISCO — After building a social network that turned into a surveillance system, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he's shifting his company's focus to messaging services designed to serve as fortresses of privacy. Instead of just being the network that connects everyone, Facebook wants to encourage small groups of people to...
Walmart Admits to ‘Botch,’ Aims to Keep Disabled Greeters
Walmart endured more than a week's worth of bad publicity before announcing it would make "every effort" to find a role for disabled workers who had been threatened with job loss as the retailer gets rid of greeters at 1,000 stores. Amid a fierce backlash, Greg Foran, president and CEO...
California May Broaden Far-Reaching Data Privacy Law
SACRAMENTO — California consumers would have more power to sue corporations for misusing their data under a proposal announced Monday to expand what already is the nation's most far-reaching law protecting personal information. The revision to the law passed last year is among several sought by Attorney General Xavier Becerra...
Gov. Newsom Wants Users to Profit From Online Data
SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has set off a flurry of speculation after he said the state's consumers should get a piece of the billions of dollars that technology companies make by capitalizing on personal data they collect. The new governor has asked aides to develop a proposal for...